Tag Archives: Brand Standards

Dyson – A Sucker for Customer Service

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Back a couple of years ago, I wrote about Dyson when we had an issue with our office vacuum cleaner.  At the time, the vacuum was under warranty and Dyson, without causing us any grief, quickly sent us a replacement part so we were able to get back to cleaning our office.  The entire experience was friendly, efficient, and stress-free, and their customer service department was a pleasure to deal with.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when on a Friday we realized that a small piece of the vacuum had broken and cracked, and as a result, we couldn’t use it.  One of my colleagues got on the phone, explained the problem, and provided Dyson with our vacuum’s registration number.  The employee looked us up in their database and indicated that the vacuum wasn’t under warranty anymore, but told us in the same sentence that they wanted to make sure we were happy and were going to send us a replacement part at no charge.

Since the piece had broken due to heavy use, and not necessarily some sort of mechanical failure, it made the gesture extra special.  The fact that they stood behind the product goes to show you what kind of company they are, and what kind of customer service you can expect from them.  The piece arrived within a few days and we were back up and running in no time at all, once again using our spiffy Dyson.

Presently, I have three Dyson products: an upright vacuum, a handheld vacuum, and the office Dyson, and I am extremely happy with each product.

Dyson was originally established in the United Kingdom in 1991 and has recently announced that they are moving their headquarters to Singapore. James Dyson, the founder, felt that vacuums could be more efficient, based on the fact that the one he was using constantly clogged up and lost suction over time.  As a result, he went about inventing a completely different type of the machine, and if my experience is any indication, he seems to be on to something!

Skip to the present, and Dyson now has a line of not only vacuums, but hand dryers, lights, fans, heaters, and more.  I know my wife is dying to get her hands on one of the new Dyson hairdryers, but unfortunately, given how expensive it is, she’s going to have to wait until the price comes down a bit…or I win the lottery…before I can buy it for her.

To their credit, I’ve never heard anyone complain about any Dyson product, and the reliability of their products, combined with their customer support just goes to show you why.

Dyson Canada
1-877-397-6622
https://www.dysoncanada.ca

 

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Cooking Up Five Star Customer Service

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Caplan’s Appliances, on Weston Road, south of Eglinton Avenue, is a family-founded appliance store that first opened its doors in the 1940s.  Their recently renovated store has a wide selection of brands to choose from, including:  Maytag, Whirlpool, Bosch, Sub-Zero, and Wolf, to name a few.  In addition to the long list of brands which they represent, a few years ago they opened up a separate Miele showroom right across the street from the main store.

The owner of Caplan’s, Bob Caplan, is an old friend of mine, and I have been doing business with Bob and his family for many years.  Since I know he treats everyone like he treats me…he probably treats others much better :-)…I’ve always been recommending him to my family and colleagues who have been in need of appliances.

I’ve visited Bob’s store many times before, and I felt that it was time I give his store a shout out, based on my most recent experience there.  Back a couple of months ago, I was in the market for a new stove for my aunt.  My aunt is 93, living on a fixed income, and Bob was aware of this. Instead of selling us a high-end appliance, Bob had given the salesperson a heads up and they were able to find us a good quality stove at a reasonable price.

In addition, Caplan’s will offer to deliver the new appliance and take away the old one.  In my aunt’s case, we needed added assistance because the stove was a gas range, and it’s not something you can just easily unplug from the wall.  As a result, you need a gas fitter to disconnect the old one and install the new appliance.  As it turns out, the salesperson was kind enough to find me a gas fitter and coordinated the timing so we were able to remove the old stove at the same time as they brought the new one in. The fact that they were willing to go the extra mile to help out my aunt for what amounted to a small purchase, just shows how much they care about their business and their customers.

Aside from the gas fitter, Caplan’s has partnerships with other people in the trades, including interior designers, builders, and construction companies. Bob is truly a one-stop solution for all of your appliance needs.

Caplan’s has been around for a long time, and they understand the value of having a customer for life.  Whether you’re looking for a starter or base type of appliance, upgrading to a new model, looking to redo your kitchen and get high-end appliances, Bob and his team are there for you.

Caplan’s Appliances
416-767-1655
https://www.caplans.ca/

 

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Sharing is Caring

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Brew Your Own Beer, Just in Time for St. Patty's Day

Several weeks ago, my wife and I went to a popular restaurant called Parallel. I have an upcoming separate blog about my experience at this restaurant.

This restaurant is great in many ways. During our visit, we saw something in particular that we had never seen before. They had Sharing Bottles. They are large bottles of beer, approximately 500-600 ml in size.

In comparison, a regular bottle is about 355 ml. We thought that this was a great idea, as groups of people could try multiple beers and have a small sample of each since beer comes in many different unique flavours. This makes the dining experience very enjoyable and interesting, as both food and drinks can be shared with the people you care for.

Parallel is not the only place that has these bottles available. There are a couple of breweries that have these Sharing Bottles available, and my wife and I have tried a few of them. There are two places that I recommend.

Blood Brothers Brewing has a large selection of these bottles. My wife really enjoyed the Shumei and the White Lies bottles, which are 500 ml each. The Shumei has different styled IPAs blended into it, with hints of citrus and pine. The White Lies is a sour ale that was inspired by white wine.

Blood Brothers is very convenient, as they have their own online shop. You can shop for your favourite flavours in the comfort of your own home!

Another bottle that my wife liked was from Beau’s. It was called Paper Chase and is a birchwood ale that has hints of caramel, dried fruit and baking spice. While Beau’s does not have an online beer store, they have other merchandise that could be purchased, such as apparel.

We hope that this becomes more of a trend, as this is a good way to try different beers without consuming too much. If you have a brewery that you like, you should suggest this idea, and try to see if they will start
to sell Sharing Bottles!

While trying these bottles, please remember to drink responsibly.

Blood Brothers
http://www.bloodbrothersbrewing.com/
(647) 628-6062

Beau’s
https://beaus.ca/
(866) 585 BEER

 

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Good Things Come in Slightly Larger Packages

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The Best Microbreweries in Toronto

A few weeks ago, I was dining at a restaurant and something on the menu happened to jump out at me.  The establishment was offering what they called “shared bottles” of beer.  It turns out that these bottles were about one and a half times the size of a regular bottle of beer, and the idea was that it is too much for one person but perfect for two people to share.  As it so happens, I’m not a big beer drinker but was with some other people who enjoy trying different beers, so it was perfect for the occasion.

The company that I know of which offers this feature, is a microbrewery in the Toronto area called Blood Brothers Brewing and is located at 165 Geary Avenue.

I really found this to be a great idea, and I’m sure there are other breweries that do it as well, but I thought It was an interesting marketing tactic to get people to try your product.  Often, my wife says that a bottle of beer is too much for her, but half or 75 percent of one is the perfect amount.

Given that in today’s marketplace, there are hundreds of different beers and breweries, and even more beverages available, you really have to be creative to succeed.  Normally, companies just come up with a catchy name or label but don’t do anything else to change up their product.

Alternatively, I’ve noticed that one of the tactics US companies use is to simply increase their price and portion size.  However, Blood Brothers is taking a different approach, and I applaud them for doing so.  I encourage other companies to think outside of the box as well.

In the meantime, give Blood Brothers a try.  I’m told that their beers are all quite enjoyable.

Blood Brothers Brewing
647-628-6062
http://www.bloodbrothersbrewing.com/

 

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The Buzz About Great Customer Service

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For many years, whenever I was driving along Wilson Avenue, to the west of my neighbourhood, I noticed a small restaurant in a strip mall, called Buzz Buzz Pizza Family Restaurant.  Despite driving by the location numerous times I never had the opportunity to stop by until a few weeks ago when, ironically, after going to a restaurant in the area for dinner we found ourselves still hungry.

A few of us decided to stop off at Buzz Buzz for a quick bite and to check the place out.  It’s a small restaurant, with seven to eight tables, the prices are reasonable, and is known for their Italian food, Greek food, and most of all…their pizzas.  Other popular items are their veal parmesan, veal sandwiches, meatball sandwiches, souvlakis, and salads.

Since the pizza on the first visit was absolutely delicious, about a week later, we decided to order the veal parmesan dinner, for delivery.  When it arrived we were surprised to see it included a big piece of veal, tons of pasta, garlic bread, salad, and a can of pop for $12.99.  The food arrived hot and fresh, however, I was told that depending on how busy they are, sometimes it takes about an hour for delivery.  Nonetheless, you can’t beat the price of their items!

Buzz Buzz is a family-run restaurant, operated and owned by a Greek gentleman by the name of Tony.  He runs the restaurant with his wife, daughter, and a few other people.  Although they are also well-known for their delivery and take-out, they do have regulars in the area that stop by and eat while watching TV. The place also has a liquor license, so if you wanted to, you could grab a beer or glass of wine with your meal.  Perhaps the most telling sign about the business, is that every time I’ve been to the restaurant, it’s been consistently busy.

Tony and his daughter are a pleasure to deal with—they are amazingly friendly and are willing to bend over backwards for special requests.

In a day and age when the pizza business is dominated by big chains, it’s nice to find a local, friendly business that provides good food at a reasonable price.

Buzz Buzz Pizza Family Restaurant
416-630-7777
http://www.buzzbuzzpizza.com/

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Prioritize the Customer….Not the Size of the Project

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A couple of years ago, my wife and I were travelling and went to the Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville.  While we were there, we bought a poster that displayed the musicians that were playing that night but was done in a style that had probably been used since the early days of this venue.

Given that the Grand Ole Opry is a country music establishment, I thought it would be interesting to frame this piece of art in a different way, than simply using a frame.  In particular, I thought it would be cool to mount it on barn wood—wood from a barn—to play with the country theme.  After doing a bit of research I discovered barnboardstore.com: a store known for selling barn board and what is generally known as reclaimed wood.  In addition to barn board, they are also known for selling wood with live edges—in other words, wood with the bark still on it.  Both types of wood are high-quality and can be used for furniture, floors, and walls.  For me, I only needed a small piece of wood because I had a relatively small poster.

When I went to barnboardstore.com, they were very accommodating.  Even though this was a small project for them they let me pick out a piece of wood with the nice colouring I was looking for.  They also spend a few minutes helping me the size and cut it, so all I had to do was glue everything together and put the poster on.

Because they took such good care of me I kept them in mind for other projects. My wife and I are currently in the process of creating some built-in bookshelves, and we wanted the counter of the bookcase to be barn wood.  Just like my first experience the staff were extremely helpful and came up with ideas that made more sense and were more cost-effective.  All the staff are a pleasure to deal with, and this was something exceptionally notable because, in a day and age where many companies are just looking for the “big sale” and spend as little time as possible with customers with smaller projects, it’s nice to see a company that puts the customer first.

If you have a project involving wood and are looking for something a bit different, I definitely suggest checking them out.

Barnboardstore.com
416-471-9452
http://barnboardstore.com/

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Hungry for Hungarian Food?

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A few weeks ago, I visited a popular, Toronto restaurant, that has been around for many years….Country Style Hungarian Restaurant. It’s a cozy Hungarian restaurant located at 450 Bloor Street West, and should not be confused with the larger donut chain, Country Style.

Country Style Hungarian Restaurant has been around for over 50 years as a family-run business. It’s an old-school restaurant with classic red and white checkered tablecloths and wooden chairs and tables. They’re famous for their schnitzel, but some of their other go-to dishes include cabbage rolls and perogies. They of course, also have goulash soup and cucumber salad, and their wiener schnitzel is absolutely to-die-for.

Aside from ordering a la carte, they also have a delicious platter prepared for two or four, which comes with a variety of meats, sausages, and potatoes. For those who are less hungry, there are schnitzel and chicken sandwiches. If you’ve saved a little room, they have great desserts including palacsinta…a Hungarian-style crepe with chestnut puree, as well as apple and cherry strudel. All of their desserts are tasty and most are homemade. Lastly, one of my favourite items on the menu is their raspberry soda…..a cold drink that is somewhat different from most pops.

Their food always comes out hot, fresh, and very quickly, and in addition, the service is great. All of the waiters are friendly and helpful, and if you ask for the sauce on the side or other dietary requests, they are very accommodating.

I find the restaurant is busy at any time, especially on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, but you usually do not have to wait too long to be seated. After dinner, if you want to listen to live music, there’s are some bars in the area, as well as live theatres, all of which are accessible via public transit.

If you’re looking to experience a different, homey kind of restaurant, head on over to Country Style Hungarian Restaurant…you will not be disappointed.

Country Style Hungarian Restaurant

416-536-5966

http://countrystylehungarian.com/

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